“Are you crazy?” she hissed as they shot out onto a main road that, thanks to Sunday afternoons, was fairly deserted. “They’re right behind us!”
“Just get into the left lane and trust me.”
She did as he said, swerving into the lane just as the Si caught up to them and slowing down. When they were in-range, Christian tossed the grenade out the window so that it rolled directly beneath the enemy’s car.
“Okay, go!”
The tires squealed as Adalyn floored it, shooting down the open road. Three seconds later, the grenade exploded, and the Si was lifted off the ground, the sleek black car engulfed by flames. Christian watched in the rearview mirror as it flipped over onto its back in the middle of the road, spewing smoke and fire everywhere, and then they turned round a bend and back onto the freeway and were gone.
Adalyn didn’t slow from one hundred miles per hour until they’d passed about five exits. “Okay,” Christian said, letting out a slow breath. The baby was still wailing in the back, but not even his screeches could dampen the flood of relief in his chest. “Okay. You can slow down now.”
“We didn’t kill them, Christian,” Adalyn said tightly. “They would have recovered from that.
“I know,” Christian said quietly. “But they’re not going to be able to follow us in the air in broad daylight, and their car is definitely out of commission. We’re safe for a little while, though we do need to get rid of this car. They’ll have the license plate number by now.”
Adalyn said nothing, and the sound of Mason’s cries filled the silence in the cab. Sighing, Christian turned around and unbuckled the baby from his carrier, then settled back in his seat with the squirmy, red-faced bundle in his arms.
“There, there,” he soothed, rocking the baby against his chest. “It’s alright. Auntie Adalyn just had to pull a race car move. Yeah, that’s right, isn’t it?” he cooed as the baby blinked up at him. “Your auntie did a race car move! Isn’t she so cool?”
He saw Adalyn smile out of the corner of his eye. “Auntie Adalyn, huh? I could get used to the sound of that.” She smiled sadly at the baby. “I doubt we’re going to see him again after we deliver him, though.”
“Yeah.” A strange ache filled him as he looked down at the baby. “I guess you’re probably right.”
You guys could make your own, though.
That unbidden thought filled him with the warm fuzzies, and he shook it off before it led him down a path he wasn’t ready to take. “Take this exit here,” he told her after consulting the GPS. “We’ll return the car.”
“And then what?”
Christian sighed. “I guess it’s back to the train.”
Chapter Eleven
They managed to catch a train from Cincinnati to Buffalo just a few minutes after they got rid of the rental car – the one to Penn Station, which Christian would have preferred, wasn’t leaving for another eight hours, and there was no way Christian was going to hang around in a strange city for that long, essentially being a sitting duck waiting for assassin dragon shifters to shoot them out of the air.
“Do you think they’ll know we’re on this train?” Adalyn asked as they settled into their compartment suite, which was even nicer than the Amtrak one. It had real carpeting on the floors, a shower that was large enough to actually move around in, and a small couch they’d converted into a crib for the baby to lie on.
“It’s possible,” Christian conceded, “but unlikely considering how fast we moved. I definitely didn’t sense anyone at the station with us.”
Adalyn nodded, her face pale as she sat down on the bed. Christian, for his part, was kneeling next to the make shift crib, tucking in a sleepy Mason. The baby fussed, and he took one of the bottles of milk from the freezer bag his mother had packed and proceeded to feed him. As he watched the baby suckle the plastic nipple, his little hands grasping at the bottle, warmth stole through him, easing some of the tension in his belly.
A thought occurred to him. “Do you want to feed him for a bit?” he asked, turning to look at Adalyn.
She hesitated, then nodded and rose to her feet. Christian stepped back and let her pick up both baby and bottle, the former of which fussed briefly before she reunited him with the later. It took a few moments, but the lines of tension in her face began to soften as her motherly instincts took over, and soon she was humming a soft lullaby. She was beautiful, her lovely face glowing softly with affection, her gorgeous red hair forming a curtain of intimacy for her and the baby, and Christian wondered if anyone would be able to tell that she wasn’t Mason’s mother if they looked at her now. He doubted it.
“Do you want kids?” he asked quietly.
She looked up at him, startled. “I… well, yes,” she said, glancing down at Mason with a smile. “I’ve always wanted one or two, just like this little guy down here.”
“You deserve a whole brood of them,” Christian assured her. The bed creaked as he sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulder, drawing them both close to him, and for a moment it felt like they were a real family rather than three strangers who’d been thrown together by circumstance.
He was going to miss this when it was over.
“Come lie down with me,” he urged when the baby had finally fallen asleep, full and content. He wanted to feel her against him, to reassure them both that everything was okay and they were still alive.
Adalyn nodded, then went to put Mason down in his crib. Finished, she kicked off her shoes, then crawled into Christian’s waiting arms. Christian sighed as she tucked her head in beneath his chin and wrapped her arms around his torso, snuggling against him. Exhaustion claimed them both, and they slipped into sleep together.
Chapter Twelve
Adalyn awoke to the sensation of a hand slipping beneath the waistband of her jeans. She sucked in a breath as three fingers slid between her folds, sending tendrils of pleasure winding through her body, breaking through the fog of sleep.
“Christian,” she murmured, opening her eyes to find him watching her. He lay on his side next to her, his head propped up with his free hand as the other continued to fondle her between her legs.
“Adalyn.” His voice was rough, his green eyes gleaming hungrily down at her as his lips curved into a lazy smile. “We’ve been asleep for five hours now. Thought I should wake you for dinner.”
“Well this is an interesting way to be woken up – ” she gasped when his fingers found her clit. “Oh yeah,” she moaned, her back arching as he massaged the sweet spot. The tendrils of pleasure sharpened, sending a throbbing ache through her body.
“We’ve built up a lot of tension these past few hours.” Christian rolled onto his knees so that he hovered over her, his lips inches from hers. “Thought we should blow some of it off.”
He caught her lips in a slow, simmering kiss as she let out another moan, trapping the cry between his teeth. Throbbing heat spread through her as he continued to massage her clit, and she ground her hips against his hand helplessly, her body seeking release. Before she knew it, she was shoving her pants down her legs, and then she grabbed his hand and guided his fingers herself.
“Yeah, that’s it,” he growled against her mouth as she moaned. “Show me how you like it.”
Trembling, she took two of his fingers and began swirling them in slow circles against her clit. The pressure built and built and built, until she was no longer certain whether or not it was her hand doing the work or just his. Her flesh was burning, her nipples chafing against her bra, but she was hardly coherent enough to do anything about it, her mind firmly on seeking release.
He slid his thumb inside her then, pressing hard against her g-spot, and she came, her body bucking beneath his, her cries trapped within his mouth. She heard a clink of metal as he undid his belt buckle, then the sound of a zipper unzipping, and moaned as the head of his cock slid along her folds.
“I wish we were alone,” he growled in her ear as he coated his head with her wetness. “I
wish I had you holed up in a motel room somewhere so that I could hear you scream my name to the rafters without having to worry about drawing attention to ourselves.” His eyes burned as he stared down at her, teasing her with his cock.
“Me too,” she whispered, her voice trembling as she looked down at his cock. The thick head slipped up and down her folds, circling her clit and then pressing against it, sending more tiny shockwaves of pleasure through her and rebuilding the ache between her legs all over again. It was one of the most erotic things she’d ever seen.
“Christian, please.” She reached for his hips to urge him forward. “I need – ”
She cried out as he surged into her, filling her up with one swift, powerful stroke. He caught the second cry in his mouth before it hit the air, withdrawing slowly before thrusting hard. Fierce pleasure shot through her with every firm thrust, followed by a searing ache that made her tremble with each slow withdrawal. He was teasing her, tugging on her nerve endings until she was coiled tight like a spring, ready to explode. Desperate for release, she reached down to touch herself, but before she could he grabbed her wrists and held them over her head.
“Nuh-uh,” he growled playfully, nipping at my lips. “You’re not getting off that easy.”
“Christian,” I moaned at the double-entendre. He swirled his hips so that his groin rubbed against my clit, sending stars sparking across my vision. So close, but not enough. “This is torture.”
“It’s worth the wait, sweetheart,” he insisted, slowly pulling out again. Adalyn bit her lip, then gasped as he slammed back into her, shockwaves of pleasure reverberating through her body. She focused on breathing deeply as she watched him slide out again, counting the breaths before he thrust back in to ease some of the torturous ache. One, two, three, thrust. One, two, three, thrust.
“I don’t want to wait,” she growled, wrapping her legs around his waist to pull him closer. She arched her back, drawing attention to her breasts, then licked her lips slowly, sinfully, in a way that was designed to turn him on.
His eyes darkened. “You’re such a tease,” he growled, releasing Adalyn’s hands so that he could grab her hips. Adalyn took advantage of her newfound freedom by digging her fingers into his finely sculpted ass. She groaned as he began thrusting harder, faster, and the time between the shocks of pleasure grew shorter until it was a never ending wave. His big body trembled against hers as they came together, releasing shockwaves upon shockwaves of tension until they both collapsed, boneless, against the bed.
“Wow,” she breathed, running her hands through his sweaty hair. “I feel so much better.”
“Told you you would,” he teased, his eyes sparkling. He leaned in to kiss her, then stood up and fastened his jeans again. “I’ll be back with dinner.”
Chapter Thirteen
The cold wind of the Buffalo morning air slapped Christian in the face as he and Adalyn disembarked from the train. Adalyn cradled the baby, who was bundled up in a blanket, to her chest to shield him from the worst of the wind, but he still whimpered and squirmed.
“There there,” she soothed. “Everything’ll be alright. We’re almost home!”
Home, Christian thought, shaking his head as he dragged their luggage behind him down the platform. Certainly he was almost home soon, but New York wasn’t Adalyn’s home, and it wasn’t the baby’s, at least not yet.
They made their way down to the street with a flood of other people disembarking the train. As they glided down the escalator, an uneasy feeling began to trickle down Christian’s spine, and he looked around. He didn’t see anyone suspicious, didn’t sense anyone except a couple of wolf shifters, and they were going up the opposite escalator.
It’s probably nothing, he thought. But even so, he positioned his body closer to Adalyn, shielding her and the baby. And not a moment too soon, because just as they were stepping off the platform, a leather-clad hand shot out and grabbed for the baby.
Quick as a flash, Christian grabbed that hand and twisted it around, drawing the person it was connected to from around the corner and twisting it behind his back. Screams and exclamations echoed throughout the terminal as the man – a shifter - stomped on Christian’s foot, trying to get free. Christian jerked the hand up farther in response, and there was a sickening crunch as the shoulder dislocated.
“Christian,” Adalyn shouted, her voice trembling. He followed her terrified gaze to the sight of another shifter rushing through the crowd, headed straight for them.
“Run!” he shouted at Adalyn. She took off just as the other assassin let a knife fly, and it clattered against the stone wall just behind where Adalyn had been standing. Growling, Christian pulled his own knife from his boot and shoved it through the back of the shifter he was holding, piercing his heart. The remaining bystanders scattered at the sight of blood pooling, some pulling out their phones to dial 911, and Christian cursed. They were going to have to get out of here, fast.
Meanwhile, the other assassin had pulled out a gun, and was preparing to fire off a shot. Christian hoisted the body of the dead shifter in front of him as a meat shield, then charged across the parking lot, going in the opposite direction of Adalyn and putting as much distance between himself and the man as possible. He dove behind an SUV for cover, tossing the body aside as he went, and crouched down behind a tire, pulling his Sig from its holster.
Shit, he thought to himself. He was covered in sweat and blood, and worse, he didn’t know where Adalyn was or if she’d made it out okay. He sent her a mental message. Adalyn? You alright?
I’m hiding with Mason in the women’s restroom. Please, Christian. Come quick.
Hang tight, sweetheart. I’m on my way.
He peered through one of the passenger windows of the SUV to try and see where the other assassin was. He spotted the bastard standing by one of the train station pillars, waiting for him resurface. Grunting, Christian dropped to the ground, then army crawled beneath the SUV. He emerged, three cars later, directly in front of the assassin. Before the bastard had a chance to react, he got off another shot, hitting the gunman in the shoulder. Blood bloomed on the man’s khaki vest, and he got off a shot, but it flew wild, hitting the side mirror of a car two parking spots over. Christian cursed, then fired again, hitting the man dead center in the chest. He collapsed to his knees, and Christian ran.
As he made his way toward the restrooms around the back of the train station, he scanned the vehicles parked in the lot, looking for something old that wouldn’t have a car alarm. The first two he tried were locked, but the third, a beat up looking Geo Prizm, opened.
“Keys, keys, keys,” he chanted, looking around for them. The assassin wouldn’t take too long to get back on his feet. “Need the keys.”
He found the spare set behind one of the tires, and started the ignition. It came to life with a cough, and he cursed, knowing it wouldn’t even get close to the horsepower of the Hyundai, never mind the BMW he’d wanted. But it would have to do. He jammed the car into reverse, then shot toward the building.
Come out, he called to Adalyn as he jumped out of the car and rushed toward the women’s restroom. He shielded Adalyn and the baby with his body again as he herded them toward the car, taking the baby in his arms and allowing her to get behind the wheel.
“Where the hell did you find this thing?” she asked as she sped off.
Christian gave her a lopsided grin. “I boosted it.” The baby fussed a little in his arms, and Christian jiggled him. “I guess we don’t have any of his stuff anymore, do we?”
Adalyn shook her head. “We dropped it all in the terminal.” She glanced back at the train station as the merged into traffic. “I don’t suppose we have time for – ”
Christian shook his head. “The second assassin isn’t dead. We don’t know what’s going to happen.”
They’d barely made it three blocks before a black, nondescript sedan slid into traffic behind them. Christian could clearly make out the assassin’s face behind the wh
eel, even though the man was wearing sunshades now.
“Dammit.”
Adalyn’s face tightened as she spotted it too. “We’re not going to be able to outrun him.”
“I know.” Christian pulled his phone out of his pocket, then dialed Delilah. “We’re going to need some help.”
The phone rang three times before connecting. “This had better be good,” Delilah growled in his ear.
“We’re in Buffalo right now, and a dragon-shifter assassin is in pursuit,” Christian said shortly. “I need permission to shift so I can take him out.”
There was a short pause. “Is there no way you can outrun him?”
Christian gritted his teeth – they didn’t have time for these questions. “We were attacked at the train station and I had to boost a car.”
“What – ”
“Delilah,” he growled, gripping the phone so hard in his hand that the plastic began to crack. “We’re going to die if you don’t do something.”
“Fuck.” Something shattered in the background. “Hold on.”
Sweat trickled down Christian’s spine as he waited for Delilah to come back on the line. “Turn right,” he ordered tersely noticing that the traffic was thinning out on the road they were on. He wanted to stay as close to the rest of the population as he could, since he knew the assassin wouldn’t open fire if there were a chance he would hurt other people. That was why he hadn’t pulled out his gun until the bystanders had run, and had opted for a knife instead. If he drew too much attention to them, the Shifter’s Council would string him up by his toes.
But it was only a matter of time before they ran out of gas and had to stop somewhere, and when they did, he would go for the baby again.
“Okay,” Delilah snapped, back on the line. “It’s a go. Tell me when you’ve gotten to safety again.”
Christian gasped a surge of magic whipped through him, filling the empty crater in his chest. “I’ve got it,” he exclaimed, happiness flooding through him. “My magic is back.”
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